Disappointed at lockdown

[TallPaul]

bought 20 eggs from a hatchery, 8 are going into lockdown. Had better ratio from a private party. Lesson learned I guess.
Makes these 8 rather expensive

 

[duluthralphie]

bought 20 eggs from a hatchery, 8 are going into lockdown. Had better ratio from a private party. Lesson learned I guess.
Makes these 8 rather expensive

Where they shipped? How far? When?

Anytime you hatch shipped eggs it is a crap shoot.

 

[TallPaul]

Yes they were shipped but the non hatchery eggs came from NC and the hatchery eggs came from half that distance. I didn’t expect them all to hatch, expect a linear decline. Several weren’t fertile and lots of small eggs of breeds that should lay more large sized eggs.

It’s tough to justify a few that hatch when the initial cost was X. Makes for some expensive chicks. I get it now, now I can advertise furture chicks as ‘rare’. no
I won’t disclose the name of hatchery, but I won’t order from them again. Their main revenue maybe live chicks and hatching eggs are sideline.
Could be Gods way of keeping me in check with what we can handle right now.

 

[JudysMuscovy]

Yup shipped hatching eggs are a gamble - it's best to let them rest for 24-48 hrs for the air cells to settle in though. Shipping is rough on eggs unless they really pack them well.

 

[duluthralphie]

Yup shipped hatching eggs are a gamble - it's best to let them rest for 24-48 hrs for the air cells to settle in though. Shipping is rough on eggs unless they really pack them well.

I do the resting in the incubator with the turn table off. Just because with shipped eggs you never know how old they might be. The sooner into the incubator the better...for me.

@TallPaul I would not be too quick to blame the hatchery for the eggs not hatching. So many things can go wrong with shipped eggs. I know @R2elk buys chicks and has them shipped in when he needs them over eggs, because it is cheaper. I believe he is correct on this.